What technologies have made search and rescue easier?

Author's Note: What technologies have made search and rescue easier?

I've never been lost in the wilderness, thank goodness. Or required rescue from a stranded boat. Or (more likely) tornado debris. But if I did, I think I'd be so grateful to see a rescue robot that I wouldn't even mind if it looked like a snake. Whatever the form, the ideas brewing among researchers and the rescue community seem to be good ones. After all, there has to be a more effective way to rescue people than flashlights and a hunch, right?